Classifications

• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B44—DECORATIVE ARTS
  • B44C—PRODUCING DECORATIVE EFFECTS; MOSAICS; TARSIA WORK; PAPERHANGING
  • B44C3/00—Processes, not specifically provided for elsewhere, for producing ornamental structures
  • B44C3/02—Superimposing layers
  • B44C3/025—Superimposing layers to produce ornamental relief structures
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B44—DECORATIVE ARTS
  • B44C—PRODUCING DECORATIVE EFFECTS; MOSAICS; TARSIA WORK; PAPERHANGING
  • B44C3/00—Processes, not specifically provided for elsewhere, for producing ornamental structures
  • B44C3/10—Producing and filling perforations, e.g. tarsia plates
• • A—HUMAN NECESSITIES
  • A44—HABERDASHERY; JEWELLERY
  • A44C—PERSONAL ADORNMENTS, e.g. JEWELLERY; COINS
  • A44C27/00—Making jewellery or other personal adornments
  • A44C27/001—Materials for manufacturing jewellery
  • A44C27/005—Coating layers for jewellery
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B44—DECORATIVE ARTS
  • B44C—PRODUCING DECORATIVE EFFECTS; MOSAICS; TARSIA WORK; PAPERHANGING
  • B44C1/00—Processes, not specifically provided for elsewhere, for producing decorative surface effects
  • B44C1/24—Pressing or stamping ornamental designs on surfaces
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B44—DECORATIVE ARTS
  • B44C—PRODUCING DECORATIVE EFFECTS; MOSAICS; TARSIA WORK; PAPERHANGING
  • B44C3/00—Processes, not specifically provided for elsewhere, for producing ornamental structures
  • B44C3/08—Stamping or bending
  • B44C3/082—Stamping or bending comprising a cutting out operation
• • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
  • B44—DECORATIVE ARTS
  • B44F—SPECIAL DESIGNS OR PICTURES
  • B44F7/00—Designs imitating three-dimensional [3D] effects
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
  • C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
  • C25D5/00—Electroplating characterised by the process; Pretreatment or after-treatment of workpieces
  • C25D5/48—After-treatment of electroplated surfaces
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
  • C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
  • C25D5/00—Electroplating characterised by the process; Pretreatment or after-treatment of workpieces
  • C25D5/54—Electroplating of non-metallic surfaces
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
  • C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
  • C25D7/00—Electroplating characterised by the article coated
  • C25D7/005—Jewels; Clockworks; Coins
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B19/00—Indicating the time by visual means
  • G04B19/06—Dials
  • G04B19/12—Selection of materials for dials or graduations markings
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B19/00—Indicating the time by visual means
  • G04B19/06—Dials
  • G04B19/18—Graduations on the crystal or glass, on the bezel, or on the rim
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B45/00—Time pieces of which the indicating means or cases provoke special effects, e.g. aesthetic effects
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B45/00—Time pieces of which the indicating means or cases provoke special effects, e.g. aesthetic effects
  • G04B45/0015—Light-, colour-, line- or spot-effects caused by or on stationary parts
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B45/00—Time pieces of which the indicating means or cases provoke special effects, e.g. aesthetic effects
  • G04B45/0076—Decoration of the case and of parts thereof, e.g. as a method of manufacture thereof
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04D—APPARATUS OR TOOLS SPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR MAKING OR MAINTAINING CLOCKS OR WATCHES
  • G04D3/00—Watchmakers' or watch-repairers' machines or tools for working materials
  • G04D3/0069—Watchmakers' or watch-repairers' machines or tools for working materials for working with non-mechanical means, e.g. chemical, electrochemical, metallising, vapourising; with electron beams, laser beams
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04D—APPARATUS OR TOOLS SPECIALLY DESIGNED FOR MAKING OR MAINTAINING CLOCKS OR WATCHES
  • G04D3/00—Watchmakers' or watch-repairers' machines or tools for working materials
  • G04D3/0074—Watchmakers' or watch-repairers' machines or tools for working materials for treatment of the material, e.g. surface treatment
  • G04D3/0092—Watchmakers' or watch-repairers' machines or tools for working materials for treatment of the material, e.g. surface treatment for components of the time-indicating mechanism, e.g. dials
• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C25—ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PROCESSES; APPARATUS THEREFOR
  • C25D—PROCESSES FOR THE ELECTROLYTIC OR ELECTROPHORETIC PRODUCTION OF COATINGS; ELECTROFORMING; APPARATUS THEREFOR
  • C25D3/00—Electroplating: Baths therefor
  • C25D3/02—Electroplating: Baths therefor from solutions
  • C25D3/56—Electroplating: Baths therefor from solutions of alloys
  • C25D3/62—Electroplating: Baths therefor from solutions of alloys containing more than 50% by weight of gold
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B3/00—Normal winding of clockworks by hand or mechanically; Winding up several mainsprings or driving weights simultaneously
  • G04B3/02—Removably-mounted keys or the like
• • G—PHYSICS
  • G04—HOROLOGY
  • G04B—MECHANICALLY-DRIVEN CLOCKS OR WATCHES; MECHANICAL PARTS OF CLOCKS OR WATCHES IN GENERAL; TIME PIECES USING THE POSITION OF THE SUN, MOON OR STARS
  • G04B37/00—Cases
  • G04B37/22—Materials or processes of manufacturing pocket watch or wrist watch cases
  • G04B37/225—Non-metallic cases
  • G04B37/226—Non-metallic cases coated with a metallic layer

Definitions

• the invention relates to a method of manufacturing an article made of a non-electrically conductive material, with said article having a 3D decoration made of a noble metal or its alloy.
• Decorations are generally applied, for example by gluing, to components made of hard, non-conductive materials such as ceramics. Decorations applied in this way have weak adhesion to the substrate, with an increased risk of detachment or peeling, particularly on components subject to high stress such as watch bezels.
• the decoration cannot be torn off or detached from the substrate.
• the present invention also relates to an article comprising at least one relief decoration overhanging a base surface, said relief decoration being made with a noble metal or its alloy and having a thickness of between 0.02 mm and 0.7 mm, preferably between 0.03 mm and 0.3 mm, said relief decoration being bonded to the base surface by a first bonding layer and by a second bonding layer, each having a thickness of between 30 and 70 nm.
• the layer of precious metal or its alloy on the relief decoration is quite thick, sometimes reaching several tenths of a millimeter. This substantial thickness of metal or alloy contributes to the "solid" appearance of a decoration that could have been added later, such as an appliqué.
• Electroformed alloyed noble metal particularly alloyed gold, has the added advantage of being harder than metallurgical alloyed gold applied to the substrate. This allows for a satin finish that is more durable over time.
• the invention relates to a method for producing an article with at least one relief decoration made of a precious metal or its alloy.
• This article 1 is schematically represented in the figure 9 and for a pair of glasses at the Figure 10 , comprises a base surface 2b surmounted by at least one relief decoration 2a which is formed of indexes and numbers made in the noble metal or its alloy.
• the precious metal is more specifically gold and its alloys, silver, platinum, palladium, rhodium, or other precious metals.
• the item could, for example, be a watch component. More specifically, it could be a casing component chosen from a non-exhaustive list including a case, case back, bezel, crown, pusher, bracelet link, bracelet, pin buckle, clasp, dial, and hands.
• the process is more specifically suited for an item made from a non-conductive material such as ceramic or nitride. silicon, YAG or sapphire. These materials are generally hard with hardnesses greater than or equal to 1100 HV.
• a rough draft 3 of the item to be manufactured is provided.
• this rough draft can be obtained by a conventional powder sintering process for ceramics, silicon nitride and YAG, or by the Verneuil process and the EFG (Edge-defined, Film-fed Growth) technique for sapphire.
• the rough draft 3 is defined with a surface 2, which is the face intended to include the raised decoration.
• micro-drillings 6a, engravings 6b and/or undercuts 6c can be made on the surface 2 of the rough 3 to improve the anchoring of future decorations.
• At least two adhesion layers 4a, 4b are preferentially deposited by PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) on the surface 2 and in the micro-drillings 6a, engravings 6b and/or undercuts 6c.
• a first layer 4a is formed of Cr or Ti and a second layer 4b is formed of Au, Ag or Cu.
• Each layer has a thickness between 30 nm and 70 nm, with one layer typically around 50 nm thick.
• the upper part 5a of the noble metal layer or its alloy 5 can be subjected to a mechanical operation intended to polish, satin and/or mattify this layer.
• a sixth step ( fig.6 ), the future indexes and motifs intended to form the relief decoration 2a are laser-cut from the layer of noble metal or its alloy 5.
• the layer of noble metal or its alloy 5 is removed from the portions 2c not covered with lacquer by immersing the blank 3 in a cyanide-based bath.
• a ninth and tenth stage (fig.9
• the lacquer 7 is removed by immersing the blank 3 in a solvent bath, Deconex 196, and the tack coats 4a, 4b at the level of the portions 2c are removed by immersing the blank 3 in a commercial bath, for example Chrome Etch No. 1, formulated by the company Technic.
• the removal of these layers impacts The layer of precious metal or its alloy is minimal because the thickness differences between the bonding layers and the precious metal or its alloy layer are significant. Therefore, removing any remaining few nanometers of the bonding layers will proportionally remove very little material from the thick layer of precious metal or its alloy.
• the tack coat 4b and the noble metal or its alloy layer 5 are made of the same noble metal, only the first tack coat 4a needs to be removed in this step, as the second coat 4b was already removed in the eighth step. Note that the ninth and tenth steps can be reversed.
• the blank material can be textured to give a matte, satin, and/or patterned appearance to the surface of the material. Texturing can be done by laser or by a mechanical process.
• Article 1 thus obtained, represented at the Figure 10 for a telescope, thus presents one or more relief decorations 2a overhanging the base surface 2b with the relief decorations 2a made with the noble metal or its alloy 5.

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• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
• Electrochemistry (AREA)
• Metallurgy (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Plasma & Fusion (AREA)
• Optics & Photonics (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Manufacturing & Machinery (AREA)
• Adornments (AREA)
• Other Surface Treatments For Metallic Materials (AREA)
• Laser Beam Processing (AREA)
• Electroplating Methods And Accessories (AREA)

Priority Applications (5)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=91431555

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (5)

Citations (3)

• 2024
  • 2024-06-05 EP EP24180217.2A patent/EP4659621A1/de active Pending
• 2025
  • 2025-04-01 US US19/097,071 patent/US20250377635A1/en active Pending
  • 2025-04-21 JP JP2025069487A patent/JP2025183924A/ja active Pending
  • 2025-05-27 CN CN202510697585.5A patent/CN121062378A/zh active Pending
  • 2025-05-28 KR KR1020250069576A patent/KR20250174489A/ko active Pending

Patent Citations (3)

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